U.S. Geological Survey

Over the last 30 years, U.S. floods have caused on average $8.2 billion in damages annually. Wildfire suppression costs in the United States have averaged $1.54 billion annually for the last 10 years. Hurricane Sandy caused an estimated $65 billion in damage and economic loss, making it the second costliest storm in U.S. history after Hurricane Katrina. September is National Preparedness Month, a good time to highlight the natural hazard risks we face: Earthquakes: The U.S. Geological Survey and its partners are working to develop a prototype Earthquake Early Warning System for the West Coast of the U.S. called ShakeAlert. The system could provide seconds to minutes of warning before...

Related "U.S. Geological Survey" Articles

JUNEAU, Alaska - A 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck Alaska on Thursday near Anchorage, but the U.S. Geological Survey said there was little likelihood of casualties or severe damage from shaking generated by the deeply rooted tremor.
The agency said the...

Dear Tom,I just returned from Las Vegas, and it's dry there, even for a desert. What's going on with that drought?— Fran Wirth, BolingbrookDear Fran,Periods of long-duration drought are, unfortunately, part of the climate of the Southwest. California...

California's Napa Valley, the site of a strong and damaging earthquake a week ago, was shaken by a small aftershock early on Sunday. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake, measuring magnitude 3.2, occurred five miles southwest of Napa. There were no...

NAPA, Calif., Aug 24 (Reuters) - A 6.0 magnitude earthquake rocked wine country north of San Francisco early on Sunday, injuring more than 100 people, damaging historic buildings, setting some homes on fire and causing power outages...

A planned IndyCar series race at Sonoma Raceway was still scheduled to be held Sunday afternoon despite a 6.0 earthquake that jolted the Bay Area, the track said.
"The raceway and its facilities experienced no damage," the raceway said in a...

A proposal to ban coal tar-based driveway sealants in Winnetka has drawn attention from some pavement industry representatives and business owners.
They have argued to village officials in recent weeks that the product does not pose a health risk to...

Hawaii braced for a one-two punch from a pair of major storms barreling toward the archipelago on Thursday, with Hurricane Iselle leading the way bringing high winds and heavy surf as Hurricane Julio gathered steam behind it, U.S. officials said.
Wind...

A magnitude-6.3 earthquake struck southwestern China on Sunday, killing at least 367 people and leaving more than 1,881 injured in a remote area of Yunnan province, causing thousands of buildings, including a school, to collapse. The U.S. Geological...

Border collies have been heroes of Chicago beaches in recent years, clearing 63rd Street Beach of gulls and the swimming bans blamed on them.
But the same approach hasn’t worked at Montrose Beach, which the Natural Resources Defense Council singles out...

A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck western Canada near the Gulf of Alaska early on Thursday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
The quake, initially reported as a magnitude 6.1 event, hit 59 miles (95 km) north-northwest of Yakutat, Alaska just over the...

A strong earthquake shook the border between Guatemala and Mexico on Monday, killing at least four people, including a newborn boy, damaging dozens of buildings and triggering landslides.
The 6.9 magnitude quake struck near the frontier. Much of the...

Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve, near Darien, is best known for its dramatic tiered falls constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. But a naturally occurring waterfall, tucked back in the woods of the preserve and almost unknown to the...

A 5.2-magnitude earthquake near the border of Arizona and New Mexico rattled a significant swath of the U.S. Southwest late Saturday but caused no major damage or injuries, the United States Geological Survey said.
The earthquake was centered about 31...

Silver has long been known for its ability to kill some of the nasty microbes that can make people sick. In hospitals, it's used to help burn victims, to combat germs on catheters and even to wipe out dangerous "superbugs" that have grown...

An earthquake of 4.1 magnitude shook South Carolina and Georgia on Friday but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The temblor struck at 10:23 p.m. about 7 miles west of Edgefield, South Carolina, and at a depth of 3 miles, the U.S....

The U.S. Geological Survey says it has changed its mind and now believes an earthquake caused the tremors that rippled through the Chicago area earlier this month, not a quarry blast.Geophysicists at the Geological Survey had initially concluded the blast...

A blast at a quarry in suburban McCook was well within safety limits, according to state officials who said Wednesday they cannot explain a subsequent tremor seconds later that rattled windows and frazzled nerves throughout the Chicago area.
The Illinois...

A construction material company acknowledged that it was blasting at its quarry in McCook on Monday, but officials deny the activity caused a tremor that sent shock waves through the western suburbs and caused some minor damage.
Jeff Sieg, a spokesman...